Two St. Louis-area police officers monitoring protesters at the Ferguson police department were shot shortly after midnight. While the injuries were termed serious, both officers were released from the hospital later in the morning.

Looking toward Thursday night, when at least one group has called for a candlelight vigil at the department, law enforcement officials announced that the County Police Department and the Missouri Highway Patrol would take over security around the headquarters on South Florissant Road.

Embattled police chief Thomas Jackson will resign March 19, the city announced Wednesday afternoon. He is the sixth Ferguson employee to step down or be fired since a scathing Department of Justice report found that Jackson's officers routinely and deliberately violated the civil rights of Ferguson's mostly African-American population.